Seat arrangement for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle with such a seat arrangement

ABSTRACT

A seat arrangement is provided for a motor vehicle with a first vehicle seat and a second vehicle seat that is arranged adjacent to the first vehicle seat in the transverse direction. The vehicle seats include, but are not are not limited to a seat part and a back rest. The first vehicle seat can be displaced in the transverse direction from a first position into a second position in which the first vehicle seat is offset in the direction of the second vehicle seat. The second vehicle seat can furthermore be folded from a service position into an idle position. The seat part of the second vehicle seat is lowered in the idle position such that the seat part of the first vehicle seat is arranged above the seat part of the second vehicle seat in the second position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to German Patent Application No.102007048700.4, filed Oct. 11, 2007, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates to a seat arrangement for a motor vehiclewith a first vehicle seat and a second vehicle seat that is arrangedadjacent to the first vehicle seat in the transverse direction. Thesevehicle seats feature a seat part and a back rest. The first vehicleseat can be displaced in the transverse direction from a first positioninto a second position, in which the first vehicle seat is offset in thedirection of the second vehicle seat, and the second vehicle seat can befolded from a service position into an idle position.

BACKGROUND

Various seat arrangements known from the state of the art serve forprotecting the vehicle occupants during a side impact of the motorvehicle. For example, DE 42 12 091 A and DE 195 16 913 A describe seatarrangements with two vehicle seats that are arranged adjacent to oneanother. The two vehicle seats can be displaced in the longitudinaldirection of the vehicle and are also guided on transverse rails. Thetransverse rails make it possible to displace the motor vehicle seattransverse to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle in case aside impact occurs. In such instances, the corresponding vehicle seat ofthe seat arrangement is displaced toward the center of the motor vehiclein order to prevent the vehicle occupant from being injured by theindented side wall of the motor vehicle.

In addition to the above-described seat arrangements, there also existseat arrangements that make it possible to transversely displace thecorresponding vehicle seat independently of a side impact in order toachieve a particularly flexible arrangement of the vehicle seats withinthe interior of the vehicle. For example, EP 0 940 288 B1 describes aseat arrangement that has two vehicle seats that can be independentlydisplaced in the transverse or lateral direction of the motor vehicle.To this end, the motor vehicle floor is provided with transverse rails,in which corresponding guide elements of a substructure of the vehicleseats are guided. The substructure furthermore features longitudinalrails, in which guide elements of the corresponding motor vehicle seatare guided. A similar seat arrangement is also described in a DE 60 2004000 159 T2.

The known seat arrangements for realizing a flexible arrangement of thecorresponding vehicle seats have been tried and tested, but still havethe disadvantage that a vehicle seat can only be conditionally displacedin the transverse direction because the displacement path is restrictedby the other vehicle seat situated adjacent thereto. This means that aparticularly flexible arrangement of the vehicle seats of known seatarrangements cannot be realized in the vehicle interior. In addition,the displacement mechanisms of the vehicle seats have a particularlyelaborate design such that the installation of known seat arrangementsis complicated.

In view of the foregoing, at least one objective exists for developing aseat arrangement for a motor vehicle with a first and a second vehicleseat that has a simple design and also allows a particularly flexiblearrangement of the vehicle seats within the interior of the vehicle. Inaddition, embodiments aim to develop a motor vehicle with such anadvantageous seat arrangement. Furthermore, other objectives, aims,desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from thesubsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a seat arrangementfor a motor vehicle includes, but is not limited to a first vehicle seatand a second vehicle seat. The second vehicle seat is arrangedtransversely adjacent to the first vehicle seat. In this case, the termtransverse direction refers to the seating direction and, if applicable,also the vehicle direction. The first and the second vehicle seatrespectively have, without limitation, a seat part and a back rest. Thefirst vehicle seat can be displaced in the transverse direction from afirst position into a second position, in which the first vehicle seatis offset in the direction of the second vehicle seat. This means thatthe first vehicle seat can be moved toward the second vehicle seat inthe transverse direction. The second vehicle seat can furthermore befolded from a service position into an idle position. For example, theback rest of the second vehicle seat can be folded down on the seat partof the second vehicle seat. The embodiment of the invention proposesthat the seat part of the second vehicle seat is lowered in the idleposition such that the seat part of the first vehicle seat is arrangedabove the seat part of the second vehicle seat in the second position.

Since the seat part of the first vehicle seat can be displaced above thelowered seat part of the second vehicle seat by displacing the firstvehicle seat into the second position without causing a collisionbetween the seat parts that impairs the displacement, a particularlylong displacement path of the first vehicle seat is realized in thetransverse direction. This allows a particularly flexible arrangement ofthe first vehicle seat within the interior of the vehicle.

In one preferred embodiment, the back rest of the first vehicle seat hasa section that protrudes over the side of the seat part of the firstvehicle seat in the direction of the second vehicle seat. The seat partof the second vehicle seat also has a section that protrudes over theside of the back rest of the second vehicle seat in the direction of thefirst vehicle seat. In the idle position of the second vehicle seat, theback rest thereof is folded down on the seat part of the second vehicleseat such that its back rest points upward. In this embodiment, thelaterally protruding section of the back rest of the first vehicle seatis arranged above the rear side of the back rest of the second vehicleseat in the second position. Due to the laterally protruding sectionsand the corresponding recesses on the respectively opposite side, it ispossible to displace the first vehicle seat into the second positionwithout causing its back rest or its seat part to prematurely collidewith the back rest of the second vehicle seat and thusly shortening thedisplacement path of the first vehicle seat in the transverse direction.

In another preferred embodiment, the back rest of the first vehicle seatin the first position laterally adjoins the back rest of the secondvehicle seat in the service position thereof. Due to this measure, thetwo back rests form one common back rest that prevents persons fromreaching or falling through. In this case, the surfaces of the two backrests that face the vehicle occupants are preferably arranged in oneplane and form a coherent back rest surface.

In another embodiment, the seat part of the first vehicle seat in thefirst position laterally adjoins the seat part of the second vehicleseat in the service position thereof in this particular embodiment.

According to another embodiment, the seat part of the first vehicle seatlaterally adjoins the seat part of the second vehicle seat such that acoherent seating surface is formed. The seating surface of the seat partof the first vehicle seat and the seating surface of the seat part ofthe second vehicle seat are preferably arranged in one plane. The thuslyadjoining seat parts provide the vehicle occupant with a broad freedomof motion, as well as the option of a relatively free choice of theseating position on the coherent seating surface.

In another embodiment, the seat part of the first vehicle seat in thesecond position laterally adjoins the back rest of the second vehicleseat in the idle position thereof. Consequently, the back rest of thesecond vehicle seat serves as a stop for the movement of the firstvehicle seat into its second position. Since the seat part of the firstvehicle seat laterally adjoins the back rest of the second vehicle seat,it is ensured that the aforementioned components do not form a gap, intowhich objects could fall.

In one particularly embodiment, the seat part of the first vehicle seatlaterally adjoins the back rest of the second vehicle seat such that acoherent seating surface is formed. The coherent seating surface iscomposed of the seating surface of the seat part of the first vehicleseat and the rear side of the back rest of the second vehicle seat. Thismakes it possible to also provide the vehicle occupants with aparticularly large and coherent seating surface when the second vehicleseat is in the idle position and the first vehicle seat is in the secondposition.

In one embodiment, a third vehicle seat with one or more characteristicsof the first vehicle seat is also provided. The third vehicle seat isarranged transversely adjacent to the second vehicle seat on the sidethat points away from the first vehicle seat. Since the third vehicleseat has one or more characteristics of the first vehicle seat, it canalso be displaced into a second position in the transverse direction,wherein the displacement path in the transverse direction isparticularly long for the above-described reasons.

In one particularly embodiment, the back rests of the first and thethird vehicle seat laterally adjoin one another in the second position.This means that the two back rests of the first and the third vehicleseat form a common, coherent back rest without a gap that would preventthe occupant from leaning back comfortably and allow objects to fallthrough.

In another embodiment, the first vehicle seat and/or the third vehicleseat is/are arranged on a common carrier part that is arranged in themotor vehicle in a longitudinally displaceable fashion together with thesecond vehicle seat. Although a carrier part is provided for eachindividual vehicle seat in conventional seat arrangements, at least twovehicle seats are arranged on a common carrier part in this embodiment.In comparison with several individual carrier parts, one common carrierpart requires fewer longitudinal guides within the motor vehicle suchthat the design of the inventive seat arrangement is significantlysimplified in this embodiment. This not only ensures a simpleinstallation of the seat arrangement, but the smaller number ofcomponents, namely the number of longitudinal guides, also allows aspace-saving arrangement in the interior of the vehicle.

In another embodiment, the first vehicle seat and/or the third vehicleseat is/are arranged on the carrier part in a transversely displaceablefashion.

According to another embodiment, the second vehicle seat is immovablyarranged on the carrier part. Since the seat part of the second vehicleseat is in the idle position situated underneath the seat part of thefirst vehicle seat in the second position thereof, a transversedisplacement of the second vehicle seat along the carrier part is nolonger required such that the design is additionally simplified.

In order to provide a higher level of comfort for the vehicle passengersseated behind the seat arrangement, the carrier part according anembodiment is designed such that a footwell is formed between thecarrier part and the vehicle floor and accessible from the rear.

In order to create the aforementioned footwell that is accessible fromthe rear, the carrier part according to an embodiment seat arrangementfeatures a front and a rear transverse rail for the transversedisplacement of the first and/or third vehicle seat. The rear transverserail is arranged higher than the front transverse rail. Since the reartransverse rail is arranged higher than the front transverse rail, thevehicle occupant on the rear seat is able to place his feet into theregion between the rear transverse rail and the vehicle floor.

In order to also create a large cargo space within the motor vehicle,the first vehicle seat and/or the third vehicle seat according to anembodiment can be folded from a service position into an idle position,in which the rear side of the back rest of the first and/or the thirdvehicle seat forms a coherent cargo surface together with the rear sideof the back rest of the second vehicle seat in the idle positionthereof. The rear sides of the back rests are preferably arranged in ahorizontal plane such that no gap remains between the individual rearsides.

A motor vehicle is also provided that includes, but is not limited tothe seat arrangements of the foregoing embodiments. In one preferredembodiment of the inventive motor vehicle, the seat arrangement formsthe second row of seats of the motor vehicle.

In one particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle, theinterior of the vehicle features a first longitudinal section with apredetermined width and an adjacent second longitudinal section with areduced width. In this embodiment, the vehicle seats are designed insuch a way that the first and/or third vehicle seat can only bedisplaced from the first longitudinal section into the secondlongitudinal section when the first and/or third vehicle seat is/are inthe second position. The aforementioned second longitudinal section ofreduced width may consist, for example, of the longitudinal section ofthe motor vehicle, in which the width of the vehicle interior is reduceddue to the inwardly protruding wheel housings. This seat arrangementmakes it possible to also displace the vehicle seats into this secondlongitudinal section. Consequently, a particularly flexible arrangementof the vehicle seats can be realized in the interior of the motorvehicle, namely even if only little space is available in a fewlongitudinal sections of the vehicle interior.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with thefollowing drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements,and

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first embodiment, in which the first andthe third vehicle seat are in the first position and the second vehicleseat is in the service position;

FIG. 2 shows the seat arrangement according to FIG. 1 with the secondvehicle seat in the idle position;

FIG. 3 shows the seat arrangement according to FIG. 2 with the first andthe third vehicle seat in the second position;

FIG. 4 shows the seat arrangement according to FIG. 1 with the first,second and third vehicle seat in the idle position;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the vehicle interior with the seatarrangement according to FIG. 1 to 4, and

FIG. 6 shows a front view of a second embodiment, in which the first andthe third vehicle seat are in the first position and the second vehicleseat is in the service position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and isnot intended to limit application and uses. Furthermore, there is nointention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding summaryand background or the following detailed description.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the seat arrangement 2. The seatarrangement 2 forms the second row of seats of the motor vehicle aselucidated below with reference to FIG. 5. The longitudinal direction ofthe motor vehicle and the seating direction of the seat arrangement 2correspond to the vertical or normal of the sheet of drawings while thetransverse direction 4 is indicated by the double arrow.

The vehicle floor 6 facing the interior of the vehicle is provided withfour longitudinally extending guide rails 8 that are arranged parallelto and spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction 4. Acommon carrier part 10 is guided on the guide rails 8 such that it canbe displaced in the longitudinal direction. A first vehicle seat 12, asecond vehicle seat 14, and a third vehicle seat 16 are arranged on thecommon carrier part 10. The vehicle seats 12, 14, 16 comprise a backrest 18, 20, 22 and a seat part 24, 26, 28. The back rests 18, 20, 22can be respectively pivoted forward on the seat part 24, 26, 28 about apivoting axis 30 that extends in the transverse direction 4. The secondvehicle seat 14 is arranged adjacent to the first vehicle seat 12 in thetransverse direction 4. The third vehicle seat 16 is arranged adjacentto the second vehicle seat 14 in the transverse direction 4 on the sidethat points away from the first vehicle seat 12.

The back rests 18, 22 of the first and the third vehicle seat 12, 16 arerealized wider than the corresponding seat parts 24, 28 such that theback rest 18, 22 respectively feature a section 36, 38 that protrudesover the side 32, 34 of the seat part 24, 28 in the direction of thesecond vehicle seat 14. The second vehicle seat 14, in contrast,features a back rest 20 that is realized narrower than the correspondingseat part 26. Consequently, the seat part 26 of the second vehicle seat14 features a section 42 that protrudes over one side 40 of the backrest 20 of the second vehicle seat 14 and extends in the direction ofthe first vehicle seat 12, as well as a section 46 that protrudes overthe side 44 of the back rest 20 in the direction of the third vehicleseat 16 and extends in the direction of the third vehicle seat 16.

The first vehicle seat 12 and the third vehicle seat 16 are respectivelyarranged on the carrier part such that they can be respectivelydisplaced in the transverse direction 4 by means of a sliding mechanism48. The sliding mechanism 48 features two transverse rails on the sideof the carrier part. A front transverse rail 50 and a rear transverserail 52 are provided in this embodiment. The rear transverse rail 52 isarranged higher than the front transverse rail 50 such that a footwellbetween the rear transverse rail 52 of the carrier part 10 and thevehicle floor is accessible from the rear. Corresponding guide elements54, 56 are mounted on the seat part 24, 28 of the vehicle seat 12, 16and guided on the transverse rails 50, 52.

The second vehicle seat 14 is mounted on the carrier part 10 with theaid of a simple lever mechanism 58. The mounting is realized such thatthe second vehicle seat 14 is immovably arranged on the carrier part 10.The lever mechanism 58 makes it possible to lower the seat part 26 ofthe second vehicle seat 14 as described below with reference to FIG. 1to FIG. 2.

Other characteristics of the seat arrangement 2 and the function thereofare described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5. In FIG. 1, thesecond vehicle seat 14 is in a service position, in which the back rest20 is essentially oriented upright and a vehicle passenger can be seatedon the seat part 26 of the second vehicle seat 14. The first vehicleseat 12 and the third vehicle seat 16 are in a first position in FIG. 1.The protruding sections 36, 38 of the back rests 18, 22 of the vehicleseats 12, 16 adjoin the sides 40, 44 of the back rest 20 of the secondvehicle seat 14. In addition, the sides 32, 34 of the seat parts 24, 28of the vehicle seats 12, 16 laterally adjoin the seat part 26 of thesecond vehicle seat 14. Consequently, a continuous back rest and acontinuous seat part are formed. The seating surfaces 60, 62, 64 of theseat parts 24, 26, 28 form one coherent seating surface that is arrangedin one plane.

The first and the third vehicle seat 12, 16 can be displaced in thetransverse direction 4 as described below. The back rest of the secondvehicle seat 14 is initially pivoted forward on the seat part 26 aboutthe pivoting axis 30 as indicated in FIG. 2. In this case, the pivotingmovement of the back rest 20 is coupled to the lever mechanism 58 insuch a way that the seat part 26 of the second vehicle seat 14 islowered in the direction of the vehicle floor 6 as indicated by thearrow 66 in FIG. 2. The second vehicle seat 14 is now folded into theidle position illustrated in FIG. 2. The rear side 68 of the back rest20 points upward in the idle position.

Subsequently, the two vehicle seats 12, 16 can be displaced into asecond position in the transverse direction 4 by means of thedisplacement mechanism 48 as shown in FIG. 3. In the second position,the first and the third vehicle seat 12, 16 are offset inward into themotor vehicle in the direction of the second vehicle seat 14. In thissecond position, the seat parts 24, 28 of the first and the thirdvehicle seat 12, 16 are at least partially pushed over the seat part 26of the second vehicle seat 14. The sides 32, 34 of the seat parts 24, 28adjoin the sides 40, 44 of the back rest 20 in such a way that theseating surfaces 60, 64 of the seat parts 24, 28 and the rear side 68 ofthe back rest 20 form a coherent seating surface that extends in oneplane. The protruding sections 36, 38 of the back rest 18, 22 of thefirst and the third vehicle seat 12, 16 laterally adjoin one another inthe second position. The protruding sections 36, 38 are pushed over therear side 68 of the back rest 20 of the second vehicle seat 14. Themovements of the first and the third vehicle seat 12, 16 into the secondposition are indicated by the arrows 70, 72 in FIG. 3.

According to FIG. 4, the first and the third vehicle seat 12, 16 canfurthermore be folded from the service position according to FIG. 1 intoan idle position. For this purpose, the back rests 18, 22 are foldedforward on the corresponding seat parts 24, 28 about the pivoting axis30 analogous to the back rest 20 of the second vehicle seat 14. In theidle position, the rear sides 74, 76 of the back rests 18, 22 form acoherent cargo area that preferably extends in a horizontally alignedplane together with the rear side 68 of the back rest 20 of the secondvehicle seat 14. Analogous to the second vehicle seat 14, the seat parts24, 28 are also lowered in the direction of the vehicle floor 6 duringthe pivoting movements of the back rests 18, 22.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the interior of a vehicle with the seatarrangement 2 shown according to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. The seat arrangement2 forms the second row of seats that is arranged behind a first row ofseats 78 in a motor vehicle. The vehicle interior features a firstlongitudinal section 80 with a predetermined with b1 and an adjacentsecond longitudinal section 82 that has a reduced width b2 in thetransverse direction 4. In this case, the reduced width b2 is caused bythe wheel housings 84 that laterally protrude into the interior of thevehicle.

When the seat arrangement 2 is in the position illustrated in FIG. 1, ithas an overall width that prevents the seat arrangement 2 from beingdisplaced from the first longitudinal section 80 into the secondlongitudinal section 82 as indicated by the illustration drawn withbroken lines. However, after the seat arrangement 2 is configured asshown in FIG. 3, its width is reduced such that the carrier part 10 canbe displaced from the first longitudinal section 80 into the secondlongitudinal section 82 along the guide rail 8 together with the vehicleseats 12, 14, 16 mounted thereon, namely without colliding with thewheel housings 84.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the seat arrangement 86 thatessentially corresponds to the first embodiment such that only thedifferences in comparison with the first embodiment are discussed andidentical or similar components are identified by the same referencesymbols, wherein the preceding description of FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 appliesaccordingly in this respect.

In contrast to the first embodiment, the seat arrangement 86 comprisestwo carrier parts 88, 90 instead of one common carrier part 10. Thevehicle seats 12, 14 are arranged on the carrier part 88 while the thirdvehicle seat 16 is arranged on a carrier part 90 that is realizedindependently and separately of the first carrier part 88. Although thisarrangement uses one more guide rail 8 on the vehicle floor 6 than inthe first embodiment, the third vehicle seat 16 can be advantageouslydisplaced in the longitudinal direction independently of the two othervehicle seats 12, 14. With respect to the carrier part 88, it isfurthermore advantageous that only three guide rails 8 are used insteadof four guide rails due to the arrangement of both vehicle seats 12, 14on the carrier part 88.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing summary and detailed description, it should be appreciatedthat a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciatedthat the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are onlyexamples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, orconfiguration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detaileddescription will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient roadmap for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood thatvarious changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elementsdescribed in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope asset forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

1. A seat arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising: a first vehicleseat; and a second vehicle seat adjacent to the first vehicle seat in atransverse direction, a seat part for the first vehicle seat and thesecond vehicle seat; and a back rest for the first vehicle seat and thesecond vehicle seat; wherein the first vehicle seat can be displaced ina transverse direction from a first position into a second position inwhich the first vehicle seat is offset in a direction of the secondvehicle seat, wherein the second vehicle seat can be folded from aservice position into an idle position, and wherein the seat part of thesecond vehicle seat is lowered in the idle position such that the seatpart of the first vehicle seat is arranged above the seat part of thesecond vehicle seat in the second position; and wherein the back rest ofthe first vehicle seat comprises a section that protrudes over a side ofthe seat part of the first vehicle seat in the direction of the secondvehicle seat, and the seat part of the second vehicle seat comprises asection that protrudes over the side of the back rest of the secondvehicle seat in the direction of the first vehicle seat, wherein theback rest of the second vehicle seat is folded on the seat part of thesecond vehicle seat in the idle position such that a rear side pointsupward, and wherein the section of the back rest of the first vehicleseat is arranged above the rear side of the back rest of the secondvehicle seat in the second position.
 2. The seat arrangement accordingto one of claim 1, wherein the back rest of the first vehicle seat inthe first position laterally adjoins the back rest of the second vehicleseat in the service position.
 3. The seat arrangement according to claim1, wherein the seat part of the first vehicle seat in the first positionlaterally adjoins the seat part of the second vehicle seat in theservice position.
 4. The seat arrangement according to claim 3, whereinthe seat part of the first vehicle seat laterally adjoins the seat partof the second vehicle seat such that a coherent seating surface isformed.
 5. The seat arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the seatpart of the first vehicle seat in the second position laterally adjoinsthe back rest of the second vehicle seat in the idle position.
 6. Theseat arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the seat part of thefirst vehicle seat laterally adjoins the back rest of the second vehicleseat such that a coherent seating surface is formed, wherein thecoherent seating surface is composed of a seating surface of the seatpart of the first vehicle seat and the rear side of the back rest of thesecond vehicle seat.
 7. The seat arrangement according to claim 1,further comprising a third vehicle seat arranged adjacent to the secondvehicle seat in the transverse direction, the third vehicle seat havinga back rest.
 8. The seat arrangement according to claim 7, wherein theback rest of the first vehicle seat and the back rest of the thirdvehicle seat laterally adjoin one another in the second position.
 9. Theseat arrangement according to claim 7, wherein at least the firstvehicle seat or the third vehicle seat are arranged on a common carrierpart that can be longitudinally displaced in the motor vehicle togetherwith the second vehicle seat.
 10. The seat arrangement according toclaim 9, wherein at least the first vehicle seat or the third vehicleseat is arranged on the common carrier part in a transverselydisplaceable fashion.
 11. The seat arrangement according to claim 9,wherein the second vehicle seat is arranged on the common carrier partsuch that it is immovable in the transverse direction.
 12. The seatarrangement according to one of claims 10, wherein the common carrierpart is designed such that a footwell is formed between the commoncarrier part and a vehicle floor.
 13. The seat arrangement according toclaim 12, wherein the carrier part features a front and a reartransverse rail in order to transversely displaced at least the first orthe third vehicle seat, wherein the rear transverse rail is arrangedhigher than a front transverse rail.
 14. The seat arrangement accordingto claim 7, wherein at least the first vehicle seat or the third vehicleseat can be folded from a service position into the idle position inwhich the rear side of the back rest of the first vehicle seat or thirdvehicle seat forms a coherent cargo area together with the rear side ofthe back rest of the second vehicle seat in the idle position.